The US is considering releasing $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets as part of a first phase in a potential deal to end the war with Iran if certain conditions are met, a source familiar with discussions exclusively told The Post on Friday — with the potential to ultimately release a total of $20 billion.
The first phase of a deal — whose full details have yet to be disclosed — would occur over the course of two-to-three years, the source said. The full $20 billion release is contingent on even further conditions.
There are currently $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets — originating from oil sales to South Korea — being kept in Qatar.
President Trump, meanwhile, said Friday that the regime had agreed to hand over its enriched uranium stockpile — but forcefully insisted that “no money would be exchanged.”
“The U.S.A. will get all Nuclear “Dust,” created by our great B2 Bombers – No money will exchange hands in any way, shape, or form,” he posted to Truth Social.
Axios and Reuters first reported the $20 billion figure as a possibility.
It is unclear what conditions must be met for any of the assets to be released.
It could instead involve giving Tehran access to Iranian overseas revenue that has been frozen by the US, officials familiar with the negotiations told the Wall Street Journal.
Washington may also allow Iran to access around $15 billion in money owed to them by Iraq for electricity, the outlet added.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether Iran giving up the right to enrich new uranium — a condition President Trump has consistently demanded — is part of any deal.
Washington and Tehran are working through mediators to establish a deal that could be completed in a second round of negotiations in Islamabad, Pakistan, Trump told The Post this week.
The meeting could occur within the next two to three days, Axios reported on Friday, with sources telling the outlet that the president expects a peace deal to be hammered out.
Travel arrangements could be confirmed as soon as Saturday afternoon, but exact dates of travel have not been decided, the source said.
Asked for comment, White House deputy spokeswoman Anna Kelly said: “Only announcements from President Trump or the White House — not anonymous sources — should be taken as fact. Productive conversations with Iran continue, but we will not negotiate via the press.
If approved, it wouldn’t be the first time the US unlocked assets for Iran as part of a deal.
In a controversial move during the Obama administration, officials secretly arranged a plane delivery of $400 million in cash to Iran on the same day Tehran released four American prisoners and formally implemented the 2016 nuclear deal.
Then-President Barack Obama approved the transfer of money — stacked on wooden pallets in Swiss francs, euros and other currencies.
It was the first installment of a $1.7 billion settlement resolving claims at an international tribunal in The Hague over a failed arms deal dating back to the era of the Shah.
